MPs’ staff pay deal 'a step in the right direction' for fair pay in Parliament

GMB Union, the largest union for MPs' staff with over 1,500 active members working for MPs, has welcomed the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority’s (IPSA) provisional staffing budget increases for 2026-27.

IPSA’s plans include a general 3.5 per cent cost-of-living uplift for MPs’ staff and higher minimum and maximum pay ranges across bands from 1 April 2026.

 IPSA has also proposed introducing an additional 2 per cent uplift for Executive 1 and 2 roles including caseworkers, the majority of whom are women.

This comes just months after a GMB report exposed ‘inexcusable’ pay gaps for women, non-white staff, and disabled staff.

Lisa Gillmore, GMB MPs’ and Peers’ Staff Branch President and Senior Parliamentary Researcher, said: 

“IPSA’s decision to target additional pay rises at caseworker grades is an important acknowledgment that frontline, constituency-based staff, many of whom are women, have been undervalued for too long. 

“This is a step in the right direction, but it must be the start, not the finish.

“Parliament needs to commit to GMB’s One Parliament One Employer campaign, so staff are not trapped in a fragmented system of 650 separate employers with uneven standards and pay practices. 

“We need transparent pay progression, fair recruitment practices, and a Parliament where women, non-white staff, and disabled staff are not paid less for comparable work.”